The disclosed method comprises seemingly disparate and/or disadvantageous steps of sterilizing the sanitary waste and then re-introducing aerobic bacteria; these steps are seemingly disparate and/or disadvantageous for at least the following reasons. First, sterilization of sanitary waste kills all microbes (including microbial spores) whether they are harmful or helpful to decontaminating the sanitary waste (e.g., anaerobic and aerobic bacteria). Second, by killing all microbes, further contaminants are released into the sanitary waste, including organic compounds and nitrogen. Third, by inoculating sterilized sanitary waste with aerobic bacteria, one would expect to incur significant costs associated with sufficiently aerating the sanitary waste so that the added aerobic bacteria are effective. Fourth, sterilization through chlorination may generate undesired byproducts.
Despite the foregoing, the inventors have surprisingly found that by combining the steps of sterilization and inoculation with aerobic bacteria, that a simple, effective and inexpensive method of decontaminating sanitary waste is achieved. Moreover, the method may be utilized in agricultural settings as well as in municipal sanitary waste treatment systems.